A Cool Tip! Day 88, Use What You've Got

At bit of a different post today, but something cool I learned yesterday that I had to share!

It's coming up to summer here in Cairns and so it's time to check all our aircons are working. We found that the aircon in our spare room (also my sewing room) wasn't working. After a lot of pushing buttons I discovered that it was the remote that wasn't working the unit itself was fine. Although you can switch the aircon on at the unit, it is too high up on the wall to be easily accessible without a ladder, so we needed to get the remote fixed or replaced.

In Googling our particular remote, I discovered I could buy the exact same remote from China for just 1 cent! Bargain!! The only problem being they had a minimum order of 1000! Not so good.

Then I tried Googling how to fix a remote and here's where I discovered the cool bit!

A remote control works by sending out an infra-red energy wave. This comes from the small bulb part at the top end of the remote.  If you look at the bulb when you press the button, you don't see anything, as we can't see infra red with the human eye.

HOWEVER... if you look at it through a digital camera, you can see it!!

So I tested this theory, and found that was the problem with our remote. The infra red wasn't working! Take a look:

Pretty cool!

I wondered if I could replace the infra red part of the remote - apparently yes - the new 'bulb' part only costs a couple of dollars, but you have to unsolder and resolder the parts in.

 Since I've never soldered before and don't own a soldering iron,  it was simpler to buy a new universal aircon remote which cost the same as a soldering iron!

So there you go - a digital camera can see infra-red light, but we can't see it with the human eye! 

I'm sure that fact will come in useful one day!

Jill

Holloways Beach, Day 84, Use What You've Got

Continuing to make the most of this beautiful place we live in, the girls and I headed out to the beach on Friday for a lovely day in the sun!

The girls enjoyed playing about in the choppy water. I did get in for a little bit, but mostly just enjoyed the peace and quiet of relaxing on the sand!

Jill

A fail and a fix! Day 82, Use What You've Got.

3 years ago I made myself this super simple and really useful armband mp3 holder. 

Yesterday I decided to try and make one that was slightly bigger to see if I could use it to hold my phone in as I run. I've just downloaded a new app - Runkeeper, which has an audio cue that I can set to tell me every 400m I run for my interval run workouts. 

Unfortunately, my phone is too heavy for the pouch!

So much for a quick project. I shall have to rethink and have another try!

So after that fail, I needed to achieve something, so did a quick fix of our BBQ cover. Over the years it has become torn and now just a big gust of wind and it blows off.

A quick stitch and it sits securely now with the velcro straps keeping it tight at the sides.

Not a very exciting bit of sewing - but it's another thing done that has been waiting for a long time!!

What fixing jobs do you have waiting around the house?

Jill

A Crochet Snake. Day 81, Use What You've Got

I've been helping my daughter out with her crochet learning. She started a while ago but has got a little stuck on the basic chains.

Getting past the chains and onto the next step is proving a challenge for her that she's avoided. I'm trying to help her get past this because she wants to make little amigurumi, and I know she'd be great at them once she's over this small hurdle!

As we sat the other day, I crocheted this little snake. We did have a pattern, but I lost count and my place in the pattern lots, so in the end I just made it up as I went along so I could still talk and help my daughter as I crocheted!

I think he turned out quite cute! And my daughter loves him!

Now I just have to help her persist so she can create her own little woolie characters!

We have plenty of wool to play around with - so this is a good 

"Use What You've Got" 

project. 

Does anyone have any suggestions of simple crochet that I can do with my daughter to help her build her confidence beyond the chains?

Jill

Day 79, Use What You've Got - growing a snake!

Do you have any Christmas Presents in your cuphoard from last year that you've still not used or played with?

I found this snake in our cupboard from last Christmas. It's one of those toys that magically grow in water.

Since we were having a quiet family weekend at home last weekend, we thought we'd 'use what we've got' and finally open up the snake packet and get it in some water!

The girls measured it before we started, then threw it in the swimming pool!

They've been measuring it quite regularly ever since, but we've yet to see enormous growth.

I'm not sure if the chlorinated pool water is having the right effect on the snake, or maybe the water is too warm (it's supposed to be under 35C).

But the packet said it would grow 600% in 96 hours (4 days).

It's now been  48 hours (2 days), and it's only grown by about 50% - from 38cm to 58cm long.

Maybe we left it in the packet too long? Or maybe it's just a slow grower?

Oh well - at least we've got it out and are making use of it! Better than having it sitting in the cupboard!

 I think we might take it out of the pool, rinse it off and put it in a bucket of tap water - see if that helps it grow any more!

Have you ever had one of these toys that grow in water?

Did yours work?

And do you have and Christmas presents from last year you haven't played with yet?

Jill

A glimpse of Cairns - Day 77, Use What You've Got

On Friday, I had a lovely morning out with my girls, biking around the cane fields. For lunch, we then took a picnic to a gorgeous spot here in Cairns - Stoney Creek.

The water is cool and refreshing and we had lots of fun cooling off, building dams, racing leaves in the water and watching the wildlife!

Here are  a few pictures:

It's good to take time to enjoy the beautiful place you live in! 

Do you?

Jill

Tin can upcycles, Day 75 Use What You've Got

This week I've been spending time with my girls as it's the school holidays. 

Yesterday we got out a pile of tin cans that the girls have been saving to make pencil holders from. 

This was a nice simple project, using up fabric from my scrap stash and glue!

They came up with quite a selection! and had lots of fun in the process.

 The fur and thicker fabric definitely worked better as you can't see the ridges of the tin through the fabric. I can see there might be some embellishments added to some of these tins. But that will have to wait until I can buy some more glue as the girls used all we had!

Jill